This week I have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing pupils in Years 7 and 8 fully immersing themselves in rehearsals for their upcoming production of Shrek The Musical. Being part of the company putting on a play is like being part of a very big sports team, and we can learn so much while being part of a team. Their pride while wearing their rather bright green hoodies and t-shirts around school shows how much their involvement means to them. It is important to provide such opportunities to step out of one’s comfort zone, learning a dance, singing a solo, or being responsible for key prop movements or lighting cues. With the pressure to get it right, comes the reward and pleasure when it comes together, with many experiences of things not quite going to plan along the way. As with the residential trips of the past weeks, children learn so much from persevering and overcoming obstacles, an understanding that they can do hard things, they can make mistakes, and they can come out the other side stronger and even more resilient. I have watched as pupils have patiently listened to the ideas of others, understanding that we won’t always all see things the same way, contributing their thoughts and then working together to find a solution or a way of managing a situation.
This week I have also enjoyed interviewing Year 7 pupils who have put themselves forward for Head of School next academic year. When asked to give examples of when they have shown leadership, or kindness, or resilience, more often than not they refer to situations on the sports field. These co-curricular opportunities offer so much more than teaching acting, singing, or sporting skills; they are setting our pupils up be able to approach challenges with confidence and kindness among many other personal attributes.
As our older pupils pull together all these skills and attributes in their rehearsals, it is wonderful to see the younger pupils experiencing challenges and learning opportunities for the first time. A small group of Year 3 pupils came to me on Tuesday to share their work in French on “Le Navet Geant”, they had not only created some super art work, which had clearly taken time and patience to achieve, but they were so confident speaking in French and discussing vocabulary out side of the work they had come to me to show, having the confidence to try new words and support each other to find the translations.
I am looking forward to hearing our pianists perform on Monday in our annual Piano Recital, where I have been informed we will hear about 40 performances, largely drawn from our younger ones. This occasion for pupils to embrace their nerves and step up to perform in front of an audience is yet another opportunity they will learn so much from. I hope to see many of you there, celebrating the dedication your children have shown to improve in this discipline.
Ms Tamsin Hoyles, Head
